Loose, like a moose

On May 16, Division of Wildlife Resources biologists swung open a horse trailer gate and watched a moose bust out and disappear into a stand of quaking aspen. Three days later, another moose was released into the same drainage on the Tavaputs Plateau.

Both animals had become public nuisances in neighborhoods in Logan and had to be relocated.

DWR wildlife biologists were happy to release the yearling moose as part of a new moose management plan for the Range Creek Unit. The plan was recently approved by the Utah Wildlife Board with the support of private landowners and the Bureau of Land Management.

The management plan calls for a herd of 100 animals.

Moose which began colonizing portions of the Range Creek Unit around 2005. Although moose were occasionally seen before 2005, they did not reside in the area year-round.

Wildlife biologists are unsure where the moose on the Range Creek Unit migrated from. Moose are capable of traveling long distances and may show up in unusual places-including residential areas.

Wildlife biologists currently estimate the Range Creek herd at about 25 animals. The biologists will continue to translocate animals to the area to reach the unit's population objective. In time, biologists hope to provide high-quality opportunities to both hunt and view moose.